Title Jon 03:06~09 Saving Leadership
Contents
Jonah 3:6-9
Leadership that saves
Today is the funeral service. The chiefs are spiritual leaders that God has established. In the meantime, we have looked through the book of Jonah 16 times. Today we are going to look at the text from a completely different perspective. At this time, I would like to introduce you to 'a man in the book of Jonah' that many preachers who expounded on the book of Jonah did not pay much attention to. Who is the ‘one in the book of Jonah’ that we should pay attention to? That man is none other than the king of Nineveh. He was the leader who led the people of Nineveh, who faced the problems of ‘whether Nineveh perishes or rises’ and ‘will the people of Nineveh live or die?’ In the end, Nineveh's leadership prospered and the people of Nineveh came to live. His leadership is not ‘leadership that kills’ but ‘leadership that saves life’. I hope that the chiefs who are devoted today can possess the leadership that saves them.
First, the king of Nineveh felt his responsibility.
The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh and preached the word of God. “In 40 days Nineveh will fall” (Jon 3:4). From the point of view of the people of Nineveh, a serious problem has arisen in which the nation is destroyed. How did the people of Nineveh react to the problem? Together they believed in God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth. What does it mean? If Nineveh is destroyed, it means “all because of them.” What was the position of the king of Nineveh? In verse 6, he took off his robe and put on sackcloth and sat down on the ashes. Why did he take off his roundtrip? Was it to evade responsibility? Was it to run away? no. He was clothed in sackcloth and even sat on ashes. If Nineveh is destroyed, it means that it is entirely “self-responsibility” as the leader.
One of the characteristics of modern people is that they do not have much sense of responsibility. If you make a mistake, you need to be held accountable. But when I see some people, when problems arise, they blame others, make excuses, or run away. Trying to avoid responsibility. In Genesis 3, the first crime of mankind is recorded. God told us not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and ate it. God found Adam, who was hiding among the trees in the garden. “Adam, where are you?” God asked Adam. “Have you eaten from the tree I commanded you not to eat?” What would Adam say then? “The woman whom God gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate it.” He blamed Eve first. “Eve gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate it.” He didn't just blame Eve. He also blamed God. It means that “God gave a woman, and in the end, she ate it.” It's everyone else's fault.
A leader is someone who pulls from the front, not someone who pushes from behind. Patton likens leadership to spaghetti noodles. Because you can easily pull the noodles, but not push them out. This is what the Israeli army teaches. “If you are an officer, you have to pay the price. Stand in front of your subordinates.” Taking the lead means being willing to take responsibility. A spiritual leader is someone who can take responsibility.
Second, the king of Nineveh called for change.
Let's look at verses 7-8. The king of Nineveh issued a decree to the people. According to the contents of the decree, it is to fast, whether man or beast. Put on sackcloth and repent. It is to cry out to God and pray. And each one should turn away from their evil ways and from the violence of their hands. In a word, the king of Nineveh urged the people to change.
It is said that the human brain is always looking for new things. That's why you lose interest, lose interest, lose your senses, and get tired of doing something that was fun over and over again. So people are always looking for new things and trying to change. Especially Korean people are worse. In particular, the short exchange cycle of mobile phones is truly global. Most people replace their phones in less than two years. Adolescents have a much shorter cycle.
However, as people age, they tend to dislike and reluctant change. You find something stable, you set your mind on what is familiar, and you become complacent with reality. They tend to be reformers when they are young, but as they get older they become more conservative. In ancient times, castles were built in order not to lose what they had. But in modern times, you cannot build castles and protect them. Because if it doesn't change, it stagnates and eventually goes out of business. In our time today, change is not a matter of choice, but a necessity for survival. US President Barack Obama has been advocating change throughout the campaign. And America has chosen to change. One of the most searched words in keyword searches on the Internet is the word ‘change’. We can say that we are now living in a tsunami of change.
A spiritual leader is a person who constantly seeks change. From the moment you turn away from change, all situations lead to regression. Rejecting the waves of change can lead to isolation or slaughter alone. Christians must live by keeping the unchanging truth of the Word in a rapidly changing society. Jesus taught that “new wine is in new wineskins” (Matthew 9:17). Because the new wine is less mature and is in the process of fermentation, it boils. Therefore, if you put it in an old leather bag that has less elasticity, the leather bag will burst. Wine and wine, software and hardware, must change together. If only one thing changes, problems will arise and only the conflict will be amplified. Not only politics, education, society, but also the family. Spiritual leaders are the protagonists of change. If we fail to change the world, we will be transformed, assimilated, and perverted in the world.
Third, the king of Nineveh offered hope.
Let's look at verse 9. “God will change his mind and put an end to his wrath, that we may not perish. Who knows that it will not be so.” The king of Nineveh never despaired even in the face of God's word that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days. he hoped ‘God can change his mind. God may stop his wrath. He can keep us from perishing.’ No matter how desperate the situation may be, a leader never despairs or becomes discouraged.
tidy up.
Today, we are having a funeral service. Sunjang is a spiritual leader established by God. Depending on the commander's leadership, Soon-i lives or dies. You must have life-saving leadership. Today, in the book of Jonah, we focused our attention on ‘a man in the book of Jonah’ that no one has paid attention to. He was the king of Nineveh. He was a leader who was faced with a crisis of absolute desperation, in which the country had no choice but to collapse after forty days according to the word of God. However, with his outstanding leadership, he made Nineveh prosper and saved the people of Nineveh. His leadership is not a leadership that kills, but a leadership that saves. First, life-saving leadership realizes a sense of responsibility. Second, saving leadership calls for change. Third, saving leadership offers hope. I hope that there will be a history in which the family lives, the purity of the life, the church lives, the workplace and the company live, and this country and this people also live with the leadership that saves.